Legitimation from Abroad: International Strategies of Radical Right Populist Parties, Lessons from Central and Eastern Europe

The rise of radical right populism across Europe has most commonly been analysed through electoral performance, leadership styles, and domestic organisational dynamics. By contrast, the role of international engagement in shaping the credibility and durability of these parties has received comparatively limited scholarly attention. This paper addresses this gap by introducing the concept of legitimation from abroad, understood as a multilayered process through which radical right populist parties seek political credibility by engaging with foreign actors, transnational networks, and supranational institutions. The paper expands from an in-depth case study of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), examining how international linkages have been mobilised to counter domestic stigmatisation and to bolster claims of political respectability. Building on this case, the analysis is extended comparatively to selected radical right populist parties across Central and Eastern Europe. This broader focus allows for systematic comparison of international legitimation strategies within a region where such parties often face contested legitimacy in volatile party systems. The study draws on party documents, official communications, and secondary literature to trace how international arenas are leveraged to support political survival and long-term influence within national political systems. Empirically, the paper examines a range of international practices, including participation in European political groupings, engagement in transnational ideological networks, intellectual exchanges with foreign think tanks and activists, and involvement in highly symbolic international events. These activities are analysed as strategic efforts to normalise radical right actors, reinforce their ideological narratives, and enhance their institutional recognition at home. Analytically, the paper contributes to the literature on populism and party competition by shifting attention from purely domestic factors to the international and European dimensions of party legitimation for nationalist actors. It demonstrates that international engagement is not merely an ancillary activity but a central component of radical right populist strategies, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe. In doing so, the paper offers new insights into how legitimacy is constructed across political scales and highlights the growing importance of transnational dynamics in contemporary party politics.